From November 5, 1971, to January 9, 1972, the Lakers won 33 straight games—an almost unfathomable record never equalled in all of major pro sports history. By season's end, Chamberlain, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Happy Hairston, Jim McMillan and company had racked up 69 victories, averaged 121 points per game, and triumphed over the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.

Hairston averaged a double-double (14.8 points and 10.3 rebounds) during his 11-season career, and he also holds the NBA record of 13 defensive rebounds in a single quarter. In retirement, he founded the Happy Hairston Youth Foundation, which provided college tuition for talented kids from troubled homes. He succumbed to cancer on May 1, 2001, at the age of 58.